Food & Cooking Recipes Salad Recipes Spaghetti Salad 4.7 (6) This twirl-able take on pasta salad makes a delicious lunch or summery side dish. Prep Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 10 mins Total Time: 4 hrs 40 mins Servings: 6 Jump to recipe Our recipe for spaghetti salad is a tangy, produce-packed twist on a summery pasta salad. For this dish, you’ll cook spaghetti until al dente and whip up an easy vinaigrette with oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and garlic. Then, the pasta and dressing are combined with crunchy and juicy vegetables including tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers. Olives and capers contribute a briny bite. After a few hours of chilling to let the flavors meld, the salad is finished with feta cheese and fresh parsley. It makes a delicious lunch or side dish and is especially good with grilled chicken or steak. Our Absolute Favorite Pasta Salad Recipes Credit: Mike Krautter Key Ingredients for Spaghetti Salad Spaghetti: The long noodles set this recipe apart from most other pasta salads, which typically feature short noodle shapes like bowties and penne. Onion: Red onion is stirred into the vinaigrette to lend a savory bite while lightly pickling in the acidic mixture. You can use shallot instead, but we wouldn't recommend swapping in a white or yellow onion here. Bell peppers: You can use any color bell pepper, from a sweeter orange or red or a more savory green one. To easily remove the ribs and seeds, cut the top and bottom off the pepper, then make a vertical slice to open it like a book. You can then cut out the ribs and seeds and cut the pepper into bite-size pieces. English cucumber: Thanks to its thin skin, an English cucumber doesn't need to be peeled before using, but we do recommend removing the seeds to keep the dressing from becoming watery. To do this, slice the halved cucumber lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Red-wine vinegar: We love the tanginess of red wine vinegar in this recipe, but you can swap in white-wine vinegar if that's what you have on hand. For a slightly sweeter flavor, you could use balsamic vinegar instead. Kalamata olives and capers: These two briny additions lend delicious brightness to the salad. Feel free to use one or the other, or omit them if you're not a fan. It's always a good idea to start checking your pasta for doneness a minute or so before the cook time is up. That way, you'll be ready to drain it right when it's at al dente perfection (and before it overcooks). Make Ahead This salad can be prepared up to one day ahead of time. Give it a taste before serving and re-season with salt, pepper, and/or vinegar, if needed, then top with feta and parsley. Directions Boil water; cook pasta: In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, 9 to 10 minutes. Drain, and let cool slightly. Make vinaigrette: While pasta is cooking, stir together onion, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and oil. Season vinaigrette with 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and sugar. Combine pasta, vegetables, and dressing; chill: In a large bowl, combine pasta, bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, capers, and vinaigrette. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 1 day. Finish with parsley and feta; serve: Toss pasta with parsley and feta. Re-season, if desired, before serving. Storage Leftover spaghetti salad can be refrigerated for up to two days. The noodles will absorb the dressing the longer they sit, so you may need to add a bit more oil and vinegar before eating. More Pasta Salad Recipes to Try: Orecchiette, Celery, and Olive Salad With Ricotta Salata Tuna Macaroni Salad Pasta Salad With Chickpeas, Green Beans, and Basil Pasta Salad With Peas and Summer Beans Marinated-Artichoke and Green-Bean Pasta Salad Corn and Zucchini Orzo Salad Pasta Salad With Roasted Broccoli Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.